With the recent crowning of Pepper X as the new Guinness World Record holder for the hottest chili pepper, let’s delve into the fascinating world of measuring pepper spiciness and explore some examples of incredibly hot peppers for adventurous food enthusiasts. The spiciness of peppers is quantified using a metric known as Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This scale evaluates the concentration of capsaicinoids, a chemical compound found in the white lining of peppers, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) website.
The Scoville Scale, conceived by pharmacologist Wilbur Scoville over a century ago, quantifies the spiciness of peppers on a scale ranging from 0 (no spiciness) to the current world record of 2.693 million SHU (extremely, incredibly spicy).
During its initial development, the Scoville Scale was evaluated by diluting the capsaicinoids extracted from a pepper with a sugar and water solution until a panel of extensively trained taste testers could no longer perceive its heat, explained the NIST. The higher the dilution required, the greater the concentration of capsaicinoids – indicating a hotter, spicier pepper.
Today, this process is carried out solely in a laboratory and no longer involves human taste testers.
Continue reading to discover some of the spiciest peppers available for purchase:
1. Pepper X
Yup, that’s literally its name. Created by Ed Currie and his team at Puckerbutt Pepper Company in South Carolina, Pepper X, a hybrid of the Carolina Reaper and a potent “brutally hot” Michigan pepper, currently holds the Guinness World Record for the “hottest chili pepper” with an astounding 2,693,000 SHU. This makes it approximately three times hotter than the previous champion. Pepper X’s scorching heat even surpasses that of police-grade pepper spray and bear spray, as reported by the Associated Press.
2. Carolina Reaper
The Carolina Reaper, also developed by Ed Currie and the Puckerbutt Pepper Company, previously held the title of the world’s hottest chili pepper. As Currie described in a video titled “Breeding the World’s Hottest Pepper,” the Reaper is a crossbreed between a ghost pepper and a habanero, resulting in an intimidating pepper with warty exteriors and blisters. Its fiery intensity left Currie on his knees during his first taste test. With an average rating of around 1,640,000 SHU, the Carolina Reaper claimed the Guinness World Record in November 2013 and broke its own record in 2018.
3. Trinidad Scorpion Varieties
Originating from Trinidad, the Trinidad Scorpion pepper derives its name from its distinctive tail, resembling a scorpion’s stinger. Though the Trinidad Scorpion itself registers at a relatively mild 300,000 SHU, other varieties of this pepper have achieved record-breaking heat levels, according to Chili Pepper Madness’s website. Some Trinidad Scorpion peppers grow naturally and are not the result of hybridization by pepper enthusiasts. The Chili Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University discovered that the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion peppers, which naturally grow near Moruga, Trinidad, are among the hottest on Earth, with individual peppers measuring over 2 million SHU. Moreover, a hybrid Trinidad Scorpion Butch T Pepper previously earned a Guinness World Record title before yielding its throne to the Carolina Reaper.
4. Ghost Pepper
Originally known as Bhut Jolokia, the ghost pepper earned its English moniker due to a translation error. Cultivated in Assam, India, its name translates directly to “Bhutanese Pepper,” as elucidated by the HowStuffWorks website. However, the Assamese word “Bhut,” meaning Bhutanese, sounds similar to the word “ghost,” leading to the adoption of its thrilling name. Bursting with spiciness, this hybrid pepper resulted from crossbreeding a habanero-type pepper with a pepper akin to tobacco or birds-eye. Ghost peppers became the first to surpass the 1 million SHU benchmark in 2007, gaining recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records as the hottest chili pepper. These peppers have since grown in popularity, even appearing on fast food chains’ menus.
5. Chocolate Habanero
Don’t be fooled by the name or the color – the chocolate habanero pepper is far from sweet. Its name originates from the deep brown hue that closely resembles dark chocolate. These peppers are among the spiciest habanero varieties in existence, according to “Grow Hot Peppers.” Scoring between 400,000 to over 500,000 SHU, chocolate habaneros rank at the upper echelons of spiciness. For comparison, the orange habanero variety maxes out at roughly 325,000 SHU. Offering a unique blend of an earthy and smoky flavor, these peppers have been selectively bred from other habanero peppers to achieve their desired size and spice.
To explore more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle. Reporting by Christine Rousselle for Fox News Digital.
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